The present invention relates to a processing equipment of excretory substances in people who require nursing care and the method. More particularly, the invention relates to a processing equipment of excretory substances in solitary old people at side lying position who cannot urinate/evacuate their bowels by themselves or people who cannot move and require severe nursing care, which processes their urines/feces automatically to keep them clean and reduce their unpleasant sensation; and which reduces labors by care personnel such as staffs of emergency facilities, nurses, family etc., reducing the necessity for them to always attend.
According to a survey in 2011, it is estimated that there are 4.6 million solitary old people. Not all the solitary old people require automatic processing equipment of excretory substances. In patients who are kept in care facilities and old people confined in bed who require nursing care, a processing equipment of excretory substances became required, in which their urination and defecation can be detected automatically and processed to always keep their groins clean.
In current situation, urines of patients confined to beds in care facilities and hospitals are treated in incontinent conditions in which a tube is inserted to the urinary tract and feces are defecated to napkins, which care personnel exchange to keep them clean. Although there have been only little problems in hospitals and care facilities having experienced care personnel, there are not a few patients who feel discomfort for urination and defecation assisted by other persons.
Recently, in Japan and Europe and U.S.A., where falling birthrate and aging have been advancing, physical and mental fatigues in care personnel induced by insufficient care personnel, increased load on cohabiters, care of old person by old person etc. have become problem and distressing cases have been increasing. In such situation, development of processing equipment of excretory substances has become an urgent need.
Conventionally, many patent applications in this field relating to persons confined to beds who require care have existed. However, in current situation, those products cannot be better than ordinary napkins in points of wearing condition, maintaining cleanness, bed sore, operation failure of equipment, maintenance condition etc., so that those have not come into practical use.
In conventional processing equipment of excretory substances, there are some equipment described in patent documents 1, 2, and 3. The invention written in the patent document 1 is an automatic processing equipment of excretory substances for old people confined to bed, which comprises a sewage storage tank, suction equipment, cleaning equipment, napkin cup etc. However, as for equipment related to the invention, major problems associated with this type of processing equipment of excretory substances such as noise, vibration, bacteria elimination, excessive heating of motor, patient's comfort, maintenance of equipment etc. are hardly described.
The invention described in the patent document 2 is a method to apply an adhesive around mounting holes in order to paste the mounting hole's surrounding of napkin with the cup. Adhesive can be applied directly to napkin or a tape in which adhesive is applied to both the sides can be applied to napkin. The face of adhesive is protected by pasted release paper and, the release paper is removed for use and the application face of adhesive is pasted to the cup. As such, because the application face of adhesive is pasted to the cup, it is stated that there are effects that the cup and napkin can be connected very simply and it is unlikely to leak liquid.
In the patent document 3, it was written that there were proposals including improvement of cleaning ability by hot water, prevention of inflow of motor-brush's abrasion powder into the cup main body by means of separate blasts of work wind (flow of air with suction and circulation) and cooling wind, prevention of outflow of sewage tank to outside etc, and its trial sales were conducted.
The automatic processing equipment of urination and defecation will be explained, based on FIGS. 14, 15, and 16.
FIG. 16 shows an outline illustrative diagram of the whole equipment. FIGS. 14 and 15 show perspective views and cross-section views of a napkin cup main body 10 and a napkin 54, respectively.
When excretory substances are detected by defecation sensor 13 and urination sensor 14 existing at a concave part receiving excretory substances 77 in the napkin cup main body 10, a water pump 39 of a water supply unit 25 operates to supply hot water for cleaning through a rinse solution hose 20 to the inside of the napkin cup main body 10 and at the same time, a suction motor 31 of a suction motor unit 24 operates to vacuum up air from the inside of a sewage-water tank 22 through a sewage suction hose 15 and a suction circulation tube 50. As the result, a suction power occurs inside the sewage suction hose 15 and the suction circulation tube 50 to vacuum up excretory substances of the concave part receiving excretory substances 77 in the napkin cup main body 10 and sewage water after cleaning. Said excretory substances and sewage water after cleaning are then vacuumed up into the inside of the sewage-water tank 22 and stored. Inside the sewage tank 22, said excretory substances and sewage water after cleaning are separated with gravitation by the work wind circulating through the suction circulation tube 50.
When said suction motor 31 operates, circulating air flow occurs in such a manner that air from the concave part receiving excretory substances 77 in the napkin cup main body 10 reaches the suction motor 31 through the sewage suction hose 15, the sewage water tank unit 22 and a cleanup processing unit 23 and moreover returns to the inside of said napkin cup main body 10 through the suction circulation tube 50 and a return air hose 18.
When said suction motor 31 operates, the work wind of the suction circulation tube 50 which was introduced from a suction hole of said suction motor 31 passes through the suction motor 31 to receive endotherm; then passes through a discharge hole of the suction motor 31, a return air cooler 26, and a return box unit 27; and flows out to the inside of the napkin cup main body 10 through a return air hose 18.
As for the work wind vacuumed up from said suction motor 31, about 10% is discharged from the return box unit 27 through a discharge hose 19. The remaining 90% passes through the return box unit 27 and the return air hose 18 and returns to the napkin cup main body 10 from a blast hole. That is, air is vacuumed up from a gap between a napkin 54 in the napkin cup main body 10 attaching to the person receiving care and the hip and approximates the same volume of air as vacuumed up air (about 10% of work wind) is released outside from the return box 27 and a discharge hose 19 partially.
As such, hot wind is sent to the inside of the napkin cup main body 10 through said return air hose 18.
To prevent for the suction motor 31 to be heated, cooling air is vacuumed up at a cooling fan 32 of the suction motor unit 24 from an intake hole of cooling wind 34 through a filter 33, cools down the suction motor 31, and is then discharged from a discharge hole of cooling air 35.
Therefore, comfortable cleaning can be done in a condition that hot wind exists around the waist and hip of the person receiving care.